Autonomous vehicle control systems with collision detection and response capabilities

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the disclosure relate to controlling an autonomous vehicle to respond to a detected collision. An autonomous vehicle control system may receive sensor data associated with an autonomous vehicle in which the autonomous vehicle control system is installed. The autonomous vehicle control system may analyze the sensor data in real-time as the sensor data is received and may detect an occurrence of a collision involving the autonomous vehicle. In response to detecting the occurrence of the collision, the autonomous vehicle control system may generate claim information based on the sensor data and may process the claim information based on at least one insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle control system. Then, the autonomous vehicle control system may generate a claim notification based on processing the claim information and may send the claim notification to a vehicle management computer system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/425,387 filed on Feb. 6, 2017, which is incorporated by referencein its entirety herein.

BACKGROUND

Aspects of the disclosure relate to vehicle control and guidance systemsthat may provide automated and/or remote control of one or moreautonomous vehicles. In particular, one or more aspects of thedisclosure relate to autonomous vehicle control systems with collisiondetection and response capabilities.

Autonomous vehicles are becoming increasingly sophisticated as satellitenavigation technologies, traffic and pedestrian sensor technologies, andguidance technologies continue to improve. Despite advances in varioustechnologies, however, it may be difficult to control or otherwisedirect autonomous vehicles. For example, different autonomous vehiclesmay have different capabilities, and in some instances, relatively largeamounts of information may require decoding and/or other processing tomake autonomous vehicles effective and/or useful.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the disclosure provide effective, efficient, scalable, andconvenient technical solutions that address and overcome the technicalproblems associated with controlling autonomous vehicles, particularlyin instances in which autonomous vehicles are controlled to respond to adetected collision.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, an autonomous vehiclecontrol system having at least one processor, a communication interface,one or more sensors, and memory may receive, from the one or moresensors, sensor data associated with an autonomous vehicle in which theautonomous vehicle control system is installed. The autonomous vehiclemay have an automated self-driving capability, and the sensor dataassociated with the autonomous vehicle may be received in real-time fromthe one or more sensors during operation of the autonomous vehicle.Subsequently, the autonomous vehicle control system may analyze thesensor data associated with the autonomous vehicle in real-time as thesensor data associated with the autonomous vehicle is received from theone or more sensors during the operation of the autonomous vehicle.

Based on analyzing the sensor data associated with the autonomousvehicle in real-time, the autonomous vehicle control system may detectan occurrence of a collision involving the autonomous vehicle. Inresponse to detecting the occurrence of the collision involving theautonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle control system may generateclaim information based on the sensor data associated with theautonomous vehicle and received from the one or more sensors during theoperation of the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle controlsystem may process the claim information based on at least one insuranceprofile maintained by the autonomous vehicle control system. Then, theautonomous vehicle control system may generate a claim notificationbased on processing the claim information based on the at least oneinsurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle control system.Subsequently, the autonomous vehicle control system may send, via thecommunication interface, to a vehicle management computer system, theclaim notification generated by the autonomous vehicle control systembased on processing the claim information based on the at least oneinsurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle control system.

In some embodiments, prior to receiving the sensor data associated withthe autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle control system mayreceive, via the communication interface, from the vehicle managementcomputer system, registration information provisioning the autonomousvehicle control system with the at least one insurance profile.

In some embodiments, prior to receiving the sensor data associated withthe autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle control system mayreceive one or more driving commands. Subsequently, the autonomousvehicle control system may execute the one or more driving commands bycontrolling the operation of the autonomous vehicle using the automatedself-driving capability of the autonomous vehicle.

In some embodiments, receiving the sensor data associated with theautonomous vehicle in which the autonomous vehicle control system isinstalled may include receiving data indicative of a location of theautonomous vehicle in which the autonomous vehicle control system isinstalled, a speed of the autonomous vehicle in which the autonomousvehicle control system is installed, an amount of acceleration of theautonomous vehicle in which the autonomous vehicle control system isinstalled, and a direction of movement of the autonomous vehicle inwhich the autonomous vehicle control system is installed.

In some embodiments, in response to detecting the occurrence of thecollision involving the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehiclecontrol system may execute one or more emergency actions to control theoperation of the autonomous vehicle.

In some embodiments, based on detecting the occurrence of the collisioninvolving the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle control systemmay generate a collision notification. Subsequently, the autonomousvehicle control system may send, via the communication interface, to thevehicle management computer system, the collision notification.

In some embodiments, after sending the collision notification to thevehicle management computer system, the autonomous vehicle controlsystem may receive, via the communication interface, from the vehiclemanagement computer system, collision response information comprising anupdated insurance profile for the autonomous vehicle or an updatedinsurance profile for one or more passengers of the autonomous vehicle.

In some embodiments, based on detecting the occurrence of the collisioninvolving the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle control systemmay present a collision prompt. Subsequently, the autonomous vehiclecontrol system may receive collision input from one or more passengersof the autonomous vehicle in response to the collision prompt.

In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle control system may receive,via the communication interface, from one or more mobile devicesassociated with one or more passengers of the autonomous vehicle,passenger information associated with the one or more passengers of theautonomous vehicle.

In some embodiments, based on detecting the occurrence of the collisioninvolving the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle control systemmay generate a local collision data request. Subsequently, theautonomous vehicle control system may send, via the communicationinterface, to one or more other vehicle control systems associated withone or more other vehicles, the local collision data request.Thereafter, the autonomous vehicle control system may receive, via thecommunication interface, from the one or more other vehicle controlsystems associated with the one or more other vehicles, local collisiondata captured by the one or more other vehicle control systemsassociated with the one or more other vehicles and associated with thecollision involving the autonomous vehicle.

In some embodiments, generating the claim information based on thesensor data may include generating fault detection informationcomprising an indication of fault for the collision involving theautonomous vehicle, and the indication of fault may be determined by theautonomous vehicle control system. In some embodiments, generating theclaim information based on the sensor data may include generatingcausality information comprising an indication of causality for thecollision involving the autonomous vehicle, and the indication ofcausality may be determined by the autonomous vehicle control system.

In some embodiments, processing the claim information based on the atleast one insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem may include verifying coverage for the collision involving theautonomous vehicle based on the at least one insurance profilemaintained by the autonomous vehicle control system. In someembodiments, processing the claim information based on the at least oneinsurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle control systemmay include inserting the claim information into a policy adjustmentcalculator tool executed by the autonomous vehicle control system. Insome embodiments, processing the claim information based on the at leastone insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem may include prompting at least one passenger of the autonomousvehicle to submit the claim information for additional processing by aninsurance claim processing computer system.

In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle control system may receive,via the communication interface, from the vehicle management computersystem, one or more collision response commands generated by the vehiclemanagement computer system and directing the autonomous vehicle controlsystem to move the autonomous vehicle in which the autonomous vehiclecontrol system is installed to a specific location. Subsequently, theautonomous vehicle control system may execute the one or more collisionresponse commands received from the vehicle management computer systemby controlling the autonomous vehicle to move the autonomous vehicle tothe specific location. In some instances, controlling the autonomousvehicle to move the autonomous vehicle to the specific location mayinclude controlling the autonomous vehicle to move the autonomousvehicle to a repair facility.

These features, along with many others, are discussed in greater detailbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitedin the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicatesimilar elements and in which:

FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D depict an illustrative operating environmentfor controlling an autonomous vehicle to respond to a detected collisionin accordance with one or more example embodiments;

FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, and 2H depict an illustrative eventsequence for controlling an autonomous vehicle to respond to a detectedcollision in accordance with one or more example embodiments;

FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 depict example graphical user interfaces forcontrolling an autonomous vehicle to respond to a detected collision inaccordance with one or more example embodiments; and

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative method for controlling an autonomousvehicle to respond to a detected collision in accordance with one ormore example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of various illustrative embodiments,reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a parthereof, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, variousembodiments in which aspects of the disclosure may be practiced. It isto be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and structuraland functional modifications may be made, without departing from thescope of the present disclosure. Various connections between elementsare discussed in the following description. It is noted that theseconnections are general and, unless specified otherwise, may be director indirect, wired or wireless, and that the specification is notintended to be limiting in this respect.

Some aspects of the disclosure relate to controlling autonomousvehicles. For example, one or more aspects of the disclosure relate tocontrolling an autonomous vehicle after such a vehicle is involved in acollision so as to facilitate insurance claim processing and/or provideother automated response functions after the collision. Some aspects ofthe disclosure relate to processing data at an autonomous vehicle todetermine fault in an accident and process a claim at the vehicle. Theautonomous vehicle may include a system that may use sensor data todetermine fault, confirm an accident has occurred, evaluate injuries,and the like. The system may then process a claim at the vehicle.Various other aspects may include instructing the damaged vehicle todrive to a repair location, initiating a 911 call from the autonomousvehicle, having a second autonomous vehicle dispatched to the locationof the accident, and the like.

For example, in some instances, a control system of an autonomousvehicle (e.g., a vehicle having an automated self-driving capability)detects a collision. The collision may be detected based on dataobtained from the autonomous vehicle (e.g., sensor data indicative oflocation, speed, acceleration, direction, etc.). After detecting thecollision, the vehicle may prompt a passenger to verify that a collisionhas occurred. After detecting the collision, the vehicle may receiveinformation from a passenger via a user interface (e.g., informationabout injuries, who is in the car, what property was in the car,language preferences, etc.). In some instances, the vehicle may be anautomobile or car. In some instances, the vehicle may be a motorcycle, arecreational vehicle (RV), or a municipal vehicle.

In some instances, the vehicle also may electronically receive (or mayhave pre-stored) an insurance profile that is specific to the vehicleand/or an insurance profile that is specific to one or more passengers.The vehicle also may electronically receive passenger information frompassenger mobile devices in the vehicle. The vehicle also may receivecollision data from other autonomous vehicles in the area (e.g.,pictures/video of collision from nearby vehicles) that may be used inclaims processing. Based on detecting the collision, the vehicle mayautomatically initiate a 911 or other emergency call. Additionally oralternatively, based on detecting the collision, the vehicle mayautomatically move itself off of the road and/or perform other actions(e.g., disable gasoline system, disable electric system, withdrawdeployed airbags, release seatbelts, dispense fire extinguishingsubstances, etc.)

After detecting the collision, the autonomous vehicle may create aninsurance claim. In creating the claim, the vehicle may generate/writean electronic claim file or claim report. The vehicle may perform faultdetection based on the data received by the vehicle, for instance, todetermine which parties are at fault for the accident and whether itwill be covered by insurance. The vehicle also may determine causalityinformation that may, for instance, be indicative of the conditionsleading to the collision.

Subsequently, the autonomous vehicle may process the insurance claim.For example, the autonomous vehicle may: verify coverage based oninsurance profile information, insert the claim into a policy adjustmentcalculator, and/or prompt a passenger to select whether to submit theclaim.

Subsequently, the vehicle may generate and send a notification to acentral server. The notification may: direct the server to furtherprocess the claim, or send another autonomous vehicle for assistance(e.g., to function as an ambulance, to tow the vehicle involved in thecollision, etc.). In response to the notification, the vehicle mayreceive instructions from the server to automatically drive to a repairfacility.

In some instances, the central server may generate an authorized paymentamount based on claim information created and/or submitted by thevehicle and/or based on analysis performed by the central server (e.g.,of causality, coverage verification, etc.). Subsequently, the centralserver may communicate the authorized payment amount to one or moreexternal entities, such as one or more body shops to authorize repairservices up to the value of the authorized payment amount. For instance,if the central server is able to identify what entity insures thevehicle, causality associated with the collision, and claim information,the central server may be able to authorize a payment up to a certainamount (e.g., to facilitate one or more repairs). The central server mayperform reconciliation of one or more accounts at a later date, but thevehicle may display a fixed repair amount that may be authorized by thecentral server based on claim and/or coverage information associatedwith an insurance profile and sent by the central server to the vehiclefor display. In some instances, a model or remote agent may open andclose a claim at the scene of an accident. Additionally oralternatively, a policy and/or an associated claim may provide coverageand/or replacement of one or more items in the vehicle that may havebeen damaged in the accident, such as one or more cellphones belongingto one or more occupants.

FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D depict an illustrative operating environmentfor controlling an autonomous vehicle to respond to a detected collisionin accordance with one or more example embodiments. Referring to FIG.1A, operating environment 100 may include a vehicle management computersystem 110, a claim processing computer system 120, an autonomousvehicle administration computer system 130, an on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140, an on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 150, an on-board autonomous vehicle control system 160, and anon-board autonomous vehicle control system 170. In one or morearrangements, vehicle management computer system 110, claim processingcomputer system 120, autonomous vehicle administration computer system130, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140, on-board autonomousvehicle control system 150, on-board autonomous vehicle control system160, and on-board autonomous vehicle control system 170 may be connectedby network 190, which may include one or more wired networks and/or oneor more wireless networks. In addition, each of vehicle managementcomputer system 110, claim processing computer system 120, autonomousvehicle administration computer system 130, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 160, and on-board autonomousvehicle control system 170 may be special purpose computing devicesconfigured to perform specific functions, as illustrated in greaterdetail below, and may include specific computing components such asprocessors, memories, communication interfaces, and/or the like.

For example, vehicle management computer system 110 may be configured tocontrol one or more autonomous vehicles to provide one or more automatedfunctions, as illustrated in greater detail below. Claim processingcomputer system 120 may be configured to process one or more insuranceclaims and/or otherwise support insurance claim processing functions,such as processing and/or supporting processing of insurance claimsgenerated at and/or by one or more autonomous vehicles. Autonomousvehicle administration computer system 130 may be configured to be usedby an administrative user of an organization operating vehiclemanagement computer system 110, for example, to enter, define, and/orotherwise provide one or more settings, definitions, and/or commandsthat may be used by and/or otherwise affect the functions performed byvehicle management computer system 110 and/or the other computingdevices included in operating environment 100, including the one or morecontrol systems of one or more autonomous vehicles.

On-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may be configured tomonitor and/or send vehicle data (which may, e.g., include speed data,position data, vehicle information, passenger information, and/or thelike) associated with a first autonomous vehicle to vehicle managementcomputer system 110 and/or one or more other computing devices includedin operating environment 100. In addition, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may be configured to control the first autonomousvehicle based on programing logic executed by on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 and/or based on commands and/or otherinformation received from vehicle management computer system 110 and/orone or more other computing devices included in operating environment100. On-board autonomous vehicle control system 150 may be configured tomonitor and/or send vehicle data (which may, e.g., include speed data,position data, vehicle information, passenger information, and/or thelike) associated with a second autonomous vehicle to vehicle managementcomputer system 110 and/or one or more other computing devices includedin operating environment 100. In addition, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 150 may be configured to control the second autonomousvehicle based on programing logic executed by on-board autonomousvehicle control system 150 and/or based on commands and/or otherinformation received from vehicle management computer system 110 and/orone or more other computing devices included in operating environment100.

On-board autonomous vehicle control system 160 may be configured tomonitor and/or send vehicle data (which may, e.g., include speed data,position data, vehicle information, passenger information, and/or thelike) associated with a third autonomous vehicle to vehicle managementcomputer system 110 and/or one or more other computing devices includedin operating environment 100. In addition, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 160 may be configured to control the third autonomousvehicle based on programing logic executed by on-board autonomousvehicle control system 160 and/or based on commands and/or otherinformation received from vehicle management computer system 110 and/orone or more other computing devices included in operating environment100. On-board autonomous vehicle control system 170 may be configured tomonitor and/or send vehicle data (which may, e.g., include speed data,position data, vehicle information, passenger information, and/or thelike) associated with a fourth autonomous vehicle to vehicle managementcomputer system 110 and/or one or more other computing devices includedin operating environment 100. In addition, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 170 may be configured to control the fourth autonomousvehicle based on programing logic executed by on-board autonomousvehicle control system 170 and/or based on commands and/or otherinformation received from vehicle management computer system 110 and/orone or more other computing devices included in operating environment100.

Referring to FIG. 1B, vehicle management computer system 110 may includea processor 111, memory 112, and a communication interface 115.Processor 111 may control operations of vehicle management computersystem 110, and memory 112 may store instructions that, when executed byprocessor 111, cause vehicle management computer system 110 to performone or more functions. Communication interface 115 may include one ormore wired and/or wireless network interfaces, and communicationinterface 115 may connect vehicle management computer system 110 to oneor more networks (e.g., network 190) and/or enable vehicle managementcomputer system 110 to exchange information and/or otherwise communicatewith one or more devices connected to such networks. Memory 112 maystore and/or otherwise provide a vehicle management module 113 and avehicle management database 114. Vehicle management module 113 may storeinstructions that, when executed by processor 111, cause vehiclemanagement computer system 110 to control one or more autonomousvehicles to provide automated collision response functions and/orperform one or more other functions. Vehicle management database 114 maystore information that may be used by vehicle management computer system110 in controlling autonomous vehicles to provide automated collisionresponse functions and/or in performing one or more other functions.

Referring to FIG. 1C, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 mayinclude a processor 141, memory 142, and a communication interface 145.Processor 141 may control operations of on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140, and memory 142 may store instructions that, whenexecuted by processor 141, cause on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 to perform one or more functions. Communication interface 145may include one or more wired and/or wireless network interfaces, andcommunication interface 145 may connect on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 to one or more networks (e.g., network 190) and/orenable on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 to exchangeinformation and/or otherwise communicate with one or more devicesconnected to such networks. Memory 142 may store and/or otherwiseprovide a vehicle control module 143 and a vehicle control database 144.Vehicle control module 143 may store instructions that, when executed byprocessor 141, cause on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 tomonitor and/or control an autonomous vehicle in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may be installed and/or performone or more other functions. Vehicle control database 144 may storeinformation that may be used by on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 in monitoring and/or controlling an autonomous vehicle inwhich on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may be installedand/or in performing one or more other functions.

On-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 also may include atelematics device 146, sensors 147, a local device interface 148, and avehicle control interface 149. Telematics device 146 may collecttelematics data associated with an autonomous vehicle in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may be installed, including enginedata, performance data, position data, speed data, and/or other vehicletelematics data. Sensors 147 may sense conditions associated with anautonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehicle control system140 may be installed and may output analog signal data and/or digitalsignal data to telematics device 146 and/or on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140. Local device interface 148 may include one or morewired and/or wireless communication interfaces and may, for example,enable on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 to exchangeinformation with and/or otherwise communicate with one or more devicesthat may be located inside of, close to, and/or within a predetermineddistance of an autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may be installed. For example, local device interface148 may enable on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 tocommunicate with one or more smart phones, tablet computers, and/orother mobile computing devices that may be used by and/or otherwiseassociated with a driver of and/or one or more passengers of anautonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehicle control system140 may be installed. Vehicle control interface 149 may include one ormore wired and/or wireless communication interfaces and may, forexample, enable on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 toexchange information with and/or otherwise communicate with one or moredevices and/or components of an autonomous vehicle in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may be installed so as to directand/or control the autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 may be installed. For example, vehiclecontrol interface 149 may enable on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 to accelerate and/or decelerate the autonomous vehicle inwhich on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may be installed,steer the autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may be installed, direct the autonomous vehicle inwhich on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may be installed toone or more specific locations, drive the autonomous vehicle in whichon-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may be installed, and/orotherwise control operations of the autonomous vehicle in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may be installed.

Referring to FIG. 1D, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150 mayinclude a processor 151, memory 152, and a communication interface 155.Processor 151 may control operations of on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 150, and memory 152 may store instructions that, whenexecuted by processor 151, cause on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 150 to perform one or more functions. Communication interface 155may include one or more wired and/or wireless network interfaces, andcommunication interface 155 may connect on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 150 to one or more networks (e.g., network 190) and/orenable on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150 to exchangeinformation and/or otherwise communicate with one or more devicesconnected to such networks. Memory 152 may store and/or otherwiseprovide a vehicle control module 153 and a vehicle control database 154.Vehicle control module 153 may store instructions that, when executed byprocessor 151, cause on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150 tomonitor and/or control an autonomous vehicle in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 150 may be installed (which may, e.g.,be different from the vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may be installed) and/or perform one or more otherfunctions. Vehicle control database 154 may store information that maybe used by on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150 in monitoringand/or controlling an autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomousvehicle control system 150 may be installed and/or in performing one ormore other functions.

On-board autonomous vehicle control system 150 also may include atelematics device 156, sensors 157, a local device interface 158, and avehicle control interface 159. Telematics device 156 may collecttelematics data associated with an autonomous vehicle in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 150 may be installed, including enginedata, performance data, position data, speed data, and/or other vehicletelematics data. Sensors 157 may sense conditions associated with anautonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehicle control system150 may be installed and may output analog signal data and/or digitalsignal data to telematics device 156 and/or on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 150. Local device interface 158 may include one or morewired and/or wireless communication interfaces and may, for example,enable on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150 to exchangeinformation with and/or otherwise communicate with one or more devicesthat may be located inside of, close to, and/or within a predetermineddistance of an autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 150 may be installed. For example, local device interface158 may enable on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150 tocommunicate with one or more smart phones, tablet computers, and/orother mobile computing devices that may be used by and/or otherwiseassociated with a driver of and/or one or more passengers of anautonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehicle control system150 may be installed. Vehicle control interface 159 may include one ormore wired and/or wireless communication interfaces and may, forexample, enable on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150 toexchange information with and/or otherwise communicate with one or moredevices and/or components of an autonomous vehicle in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 150 may be installed so as to directand/or control the autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomousvehicle control system 150 may be installed. For example, vehiclecontrol interface 159 may enable on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 150 to accelerate and/or decelerate the autonomous vehicle inwhich on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150 may be installed,steer the autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 150 may be installed, direct the autonomous vehicle inwhich on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150 may be installed toone or more specific locations, drive the autonomous vehicle in whichon-board autonomous vehicle control system 150 may be installed, and/orotherwise control operations of the autonomous vehicle in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 150 may be installed.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, and 2H depict an illustrative eventsequence for controlling an autonomous vehicle to respond to a detectedcollision in accordance with one or more example embodiments. Referringto FIG. 2A, at step 201, vehicle management computer system 110 mayreceive a registration request. For example, at step 201, vehiclemanagement computer system 110 may receive a registration request thatrequests to register on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 withvehicle management computer system 110. The registration request may,for instance, be initiated by and/or received from on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140, autonomous vehicle administration computersystem 130, and/or one or more other systems.

At step 202, vehicle management computer system 110 may sendregistration information to on-board autonomous vehicle control system140 (e.g., based on the registration request received at step 201including a request to register on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 with vehicle management computer system 110). In sending theregistration information to on-board autonomous vehicle control system140, vehicle management computer system 110 may provision on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 with an insurance profile, such asa vehicle-specific insurance profile. In some instances, vehiclemanagement computer system 110 also may send additional and/oralternative information to on-board autonomous vehicle control system140 at step 202, such as vehicle information, driver information,passenger information, and/or the like.

At step 203, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may receivethe registration information from vehicle management computer system110. For example, at step 203, on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 may receive, via the communication interface (e.g.,communication interface 145), from the vehicle management computersystem (e.g., vehicle management computer system 110), registrationinformation provisioning the autonomous vehicle control system (e.g.,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140) with the at least oneinsurance profile. As illustrated in greater detail below, the at leastone insurance profile subsequently may be used by on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 in processing one or more insurance claimsand/or otherwise automatically responding to a detected collisioninvolving the autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 is installed. In some instances, the at least oneinsurance profile (which may, e.g., be received by on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 from vehicle management computer system 110)may be specific to the autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 is installed, while in other instances, theat least one insurance profile (which may, e.g., be received by on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 from vehicle management computersystem 110) may be specific to a driver and/or one or more passengers ofthe autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 is installed. At step 204, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may store the registration information received fromvehicle management computer system 110. For example, at step 204,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may store, in vehiclecontrol database 144, the registration information provisioning theautonomous vehicle control system (e.g., on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140) with the at least one insurance profile.

Referring to FIG. 2B, at step 205, on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 may be initialized. For example, at step 205, on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may initialize in response to adriver, passenger, or other user entering the autonomous vehicle inwhich on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed and/orrequesting the autonomous vehicle to initiate a driving mode. Ininitializing, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may boot upand/or power on one or more electrical systems and/or computer systems,start an engine of the autonomous vehicle, load an insurance profile,and/or execute other tasks associated with exiting a vehicle standbymode and/or entering a driving mode.

At step 206, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may receiveone or more driving commands. For example, at step 206, on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may receive one or more drivingcommands from a driver or other passenger of the autonomous vehicle inwhich on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed, fromvehicle management computer system 110, and/or from another computersystem or device. The one or more driving commands may direct on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 to drive and/or otherwise controlthe autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 is installed, such as to a specific destination location,along a specific route (e.g., based on turn-by-turn information), and/orthe like. In some instances, in response to receiving the one or moredriving commands, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 mayupdate vehicle management computer system 110 and/or otherwise exchangedata with vehicle management computer system 110, for instance, to sharethe one or more driving commands with vehicle management computer system110 and/or to otherwise notify vehicle management computer system 110that on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 has received suchcommands and/or will be driving and/or controlling the autonomousvehicle in which on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 isinstalled to a specific location and/or along a particular route inaccordance with such commands.

At step 207, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may executethe one or more driving commands. For example, at step 207, on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may execute the one or moredriving commands by controlling the operation of the autonomous vehicleusing the automated self-driving capability of the autonomous vehicle(e.g., in which on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 isinstalled).

At step 208, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may receivesensor data (e.g., while the one or more driving commands are beingexecuted by on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 and theautonomous vehicle is being driven and/or otherwise controlled byon-board autonomous vehicle control system 140). For example, at step208, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may receive, fromthe one or more sensors (e.g., telematics device 146, sensors 147,etc.), sensor data associated with an autonomous vehicle in which theautonomous vehicle control system (e.g., on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140) is installed. In addition, the autonomous vehicle(e.g., in which on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 isinstalled) may have an automated self-driving capability (which may,e.g., be controlled and/or provided by on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140), and the sensor data associated with the autonomousvehicle may be received in real-time from the one or more sensors (e.g.,telematics device 146, sensors 147, etc.) during operation of theautonomous vehicle. In some instances, in receiving sensor data,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may receive data fromtelematics device 146, sensors 147, and/or one or more other sensorsand/or devices associated with the autonomous vehicle in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed.

In some embodiments, receiving the sensor data associated with theautonomous vehicle in which the autonomous vehicle control system isinstalled may include receiving data indicative of a location of theautonomous vehicle in which the autonomous vehicle control system isinstalled, a speed of the autonomous vehicle in which the autonomousvehicle control system is installed, an amount of acceleration of theautonomous vehicle in which the autonomous vehicle control system isinstalled, and a direction of movement of the autonomous vehicle inwhich the autonomous vehicle control system is installed. For example,in receiving the sensor data associated with the autonomous vehicle inwhich the autonomous vehicle control system (e.g., on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140) is installed, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may receive data indicative of a location of theautonomous vehicle in which the autonomous vehicle control system (e.g.,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140) is installed, a speed ofthe autonomous vehicle in which the autonomous vehicle control system(e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140) is installed, anamount of acceleration of the autonomous vehicle in which the autonomousvehicle control system (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system140) is installed, and a direction of movement of the autonomous vehiclein which the autonomous vehicle control system (e.g., on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140) is installed. On-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 may use any and/or all of this information inmonitoring and/or controlling the autonomous vehicle in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed, and may send anyand/or all of this information to vehicle management computer system 110and/or one or more other systems and/or devices to facilitate remotemonitoring. In addition, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140may use any and/or all of this information in detecting a collisioninvolving the autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 is installed, as illustrated in greater detail below.

Referring to FIG. 2C, at step 209, on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 may analyze the sensor data (e.g., in real-time or nearreal-time to enable local monitoring of the autonomous vehicle in whichon-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed). Forexample, at step 209, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 mayanalyze the sensor data associated with the autonomous vehicle inreal-time as the sensor data associated with the autonomous vehicle isreceived from the one or more sensors (e.g., telematics device 146,sensors 147, etc.) during the operation of the autonomous vehicle.

At step 210, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may send thesensor data to vehicle management computer system 110. For example, atstep 210, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may send thereceived and/or analyzed sensor data to vehicle management computersystem 110 (e.g., in real-time or near real-time to enable remotemonitoring of the autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 is installed). At step 211, vehiclemanagement computer system 110 may receive the sensor data from on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140. At step 212, vehicle managementcomputer system 110 may analyze the sensor data received from on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 (e.g., in real-time or nearreal-time to remotely monitor and/or control the autonomous vehicle inwhich on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed).

Referring to FIG. 2D, at step 213, on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 may detect a collision involving the autonomous vehicle inwhich on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed (e.g.,based on analyzing the sensor data associated with the autonomousvehicle). For example, at step 213, based on analyzing the sensor dataassociated with the autonomous vehicle in real-time, on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 may detect an occurrence of a collisioninvolving the autonomous vehicle. In some instances, on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 may detect the collision based on receivingand/or identifying sensor data that is indicative of a collision, suchas sensor data indicating a sudden stop or sharp deceleration, airbagdeployment, chassis deformation, failure of one or more vehicle systemsand/or structures, and/or the like.

At step 214, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may executeone or more emergency actions (e.g., based on detecting the collision).For example, at step 214, in response to detecting the occurrence of thecollision involving the autonomous vehicle, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may execute one or more emergency actions to controlthe operation of the autonomous vehicle (e.g., in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed). In executing theone or more emergency actions, on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 may, for example, generate and/or transmit one or moresignals and/or instructions to cut off one or more gasoline lines,disable one or more fuel systems, disable one or more electricalsystems, withdraw one or more deployed airbags, release one or moreseatbelts, open one or more windows and/or doors, dispense one or morefire extinguishing substances, and/or the like. For instance, on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may directly control one or morevalves and/or other systems to execute these emergency actions, and/oron-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may generate and/ortransmit one or more signals and/or instructions to such other systemsto control such other systems and execute these emergency actions.

At step 215, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may generatea collision notification. For example, at step 215, based on detectingthe occurrence of the collision involving the autonomous vehicle,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may generate a collisionnotification. The collision notification (which may, e.g., be generatedby on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140) may, for instance,include a request for updated insurance profile information.Additionally or alternatively, the collision notification (which may,e.g., be generated by on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140)may, for instance, initiate a 911 call or other emergency call to one ormore responders. At step 216, on-board autonomous vehicle control system140 may send the collision notification to vehicle management computersystem 110. For example, at step 216, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may send, via the communication interface (e.g.,communication interface 145), to the vehicle management computer system(e.g., vehicle management computer system 110), the collisionnotification.

Referring to FIG. 2E, at step 217, vehicle management computer system110 may send collision response information to on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140. For example, at step 217, vehicle managementcomputer system 110 may send, to on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140, collision response information that includes an updatedinsurance profile and/or other updated insurance information. In someinstances, the updated insurance profile (which may, e.g., be generatedby vehicle management computer system 110 and/or sent by vehiclemanagement computer system 110 to on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140) may be specific to the autonomous vehicle in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed, while in otherinstances, the updated insurance profile (which may, e.g., be generatedby vehicle management computer system 110 and/or sent by vehiclemanagement computer system 110 to on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140) may be specific to a driver and/or one or more passengers ofthe autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 is installed.

At step 218, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may receivethe collision response information from vehicle management computersystem 110. For example, at step 218, after sending the collisionnotification to the vehicle management computer system (e.g., vehiclemanagement computer system 110), on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 may receive, via the communication interface (e.g.,communication interface 145), from the vehicle management computersystem (e.g., vehicle management computer system 110), collisionresponse information that includes an updated insurance profile for theautonomous vehicle or an updated insurance profile for one or morepassengers of the autonomous vehicle.

At step 219, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may presenta collision prompt. For example, at step 219, based on detecting theoccurrence of the collision involving the autonomous vehicle, on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may present a collision prompt. Insome instances, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 maypresent the collision prompt on one or more display devices included inand/or otherwise associated with the vehicle, such as on a centerconsole display device built into the autonomous vehicle in whichon-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed. In someinstances, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 mayadditionally or alternatively present the collision prompt on one ormore user computing devices, such as a mobile device of a driver orpassenger of the autonomous vehicle.

In some instances, in presenting a collision prompt (e.g., at step 219),on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may cause a displaydevice (e.g., a built-in display device of the autonomous vehicle inwhich on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed, apassenger's mobile device, etc.) to display and/or otherwise present agraphical user interface similar to graphical user interface 300, whichis illustrated in FIG. 3 . As seen in FIG. 3 , graphical user interface300 may include text and/or other information indicating that acollision has been detected (e.g., “A collision has been detected. Thefollowing screens will prompt you to provide information about thecollision to facilitate claim processing.”) as well as one or moreuser-selectable options that, when invoked, cause on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 to present additional user interfaces viawhich information required for claims processing and/or otherinformation associated with the collision may be collected (e.g.,“Passenger Information; Property Information; More”).

At step 220, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may receivecollision input. For example, at step 220, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may receive collision input from one or morepassengers of the autonomous vehicle in response to the collisionprompt. In receiving the collision input from one or more passengers ofthe autonomous vehicle in response to the collision prompt, on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may, for example, receiveinformation identifying one or more persons present in the vehicleduring the collision, one or more property items present in the vehicleduring the collision, one or more injuries resulting from the collision,user preferences information (e.g., language preferences, font sizepreferences), and/or other information.

In some instances, in receiving the collision input from one or morepassengers of the autonomous vehicle in response to the collisionprompt, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may cause adisplay device (e.g., a built-in display device of the autonomousvehicle in which on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 isinstalled, a passenger's mobile device, etc.) to display and/orotherwise present a graphical user interface similar to graphical userinterface 400, which is illustrated in FIG. 4 , via which such collisioninput may be received by on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140.As seen in FIG. 4 , graphical user interface 400 may include text and/orother information prompting a user to enter information about passengerspresent in the vehicle during the collision (e.g., “Please enter theinformation requested below about the passengers present in the vehicleduring the collision”) as well as one or more user-selectable optionsthat, when invoked, cause on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140to present additional user interfaces via which information required forclaims processing and/or other information associated with the collisionmay be collected (e.g., “Add Passenger; More Options”).

Referring to FIG. 2F, at step 221, on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 may receive passenger information (e.g., from one or moremobile devices associated with a driver and/or one or more otherpassengers present in the autonomous vehicle in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed). For example, atstep 221, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may receive,via the communication interface (e.g., communication interface 145),from one or more mobile devices associated with one or more passengersof the autonomous vehicle, passenger information associated with the oneor more passengers of the autonomous vehicle. The passenger informationassociated with the one or more passengers of the autonomous vehicle inwhich on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed may,for instance, include presence information (e.g., identifying one ormore people present in the vehicle), current and/or historicalphysiological and/or biometric information associated with one or morepassengers of the vehicle, and/or other information. In some instances,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may receive the passengerinformation from the one or more mobile devices after and/or in responseto sending a local probe message (e.g., via a short range or near fieldcommunications radiofrequency channel) to one or more mobile devicespresent inside of and/or located within a predetermined distance of theautonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehicle control system140 is installed.

At step 222, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may generatea local collision data request. For example, at step 222, based ondetecting the occurrence of the collision involving the autonomousvehicle, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may generate alocal collision data request. As illustrated in greater detail below,the local collision data request may be configured to cause one or moreother autonomous vehicles and/or other systems nearby and/or within apredetermined distance of the autonomous vehicle in which on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed to provide anyinformation that they may have captured and/or otherwise collected inconnection with the collision involving the autonomous vehicle in whichon-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed.

At step 223, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may send thelocal collision data request to one or more other autonomous vehiclesand/or systems (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 160, on-board autonomousvehicle control system 170, etc.). For example, at step 223, on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may send, via the communicationinterface (e.g., communication interface 145), to one or more othervehicle control systems (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 150, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 160, on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 170) associated with one or more othervehicles, the local collision data request. For instance, on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may send the local collision datarequest to nearby autonomous vehicles to request pictures, video, and/orother data captured by the nearby autonomous vehicles at and/or aroundthe time of the collision. Additionally or alternatively, on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may send the local collision datarequest to nearby autonomous vehicles to request one or more insuranceprofiles from the one or more other vehicles involved in the collision.The one or more insurance profiles of the one or more other vehiclesinvolved in the collision may, for instance, enable on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 to perform preliminary and/or completeinsurance claim processing associated with the collision at the site ofthe collision (e.g., prior to sending insurance claim information toautonomous vehicle administration computer system 130 for optionaladditional processing and/or required supplemental processing).

At step 224, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may receivelocal collision data from one or more other autonomous vehicles and/orsystems (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150, on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 160, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 170, etc.). For example, at step 224, on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 may receive, via the communication interface(e.g., communication interface 145), from the one or more other vehiclecontrol systems (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 160, on-board autonomousvehicle control system 170) associated with the one or more othervehicles, local collision data captured by the one or more other vehiclecontrol systems (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system 150,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 160, on-board autonomousvehicle control system 170) associated with the one or more othervehicles and associated with the collision involving the autonomousvehicle. In some instances, the local collision data received byon-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may include pictures,video, and/or other data captured by nearby autonomous vehicles atand/or around the time of the collision. In some instances, the localcollision data received by on-board autonomous vehicle control system140 may additionally or alternatively include one or more insuranceprofiles of one or more other vehicles and/or persons involved in thecollision.

Referring to FIG. 2G, at step 225, on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 may generate claim information (e.g., based on any and/or allof the information received by and/or gathered by on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 in connection with the collision). Forexample, at step 225, in response to detecting the occurrence of thecollision involving the autonomous vehicle, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may generate claim information based on the sensordata associated with the autonomous vehicle and received from the one ormore sensors (e.g., telematics device 146, sensors 147, etc.) during theoperation of the autonomous vehicle. In generating the claim informationat step 225, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may createand/or define an insurance claim based on information captured and/orotherwise received by on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140,including any and/or all of the information captured and/or otherwisereceived by on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 at theexample steps discussed above. For example, in generating the claiminformation at step 225, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140may create and/or define an insurance claim based on the collisionresponse information received from vehicle management computer system110, the collision input received from one or more passengers, thepassenger information received from one or more mobile devices, thelocal collision data received from one or more other vehicles, and/orother information. In addition, in generating the claim information atstep 225, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may writeand/or otherwise generate an electronic claim file or claim report thatmay facilitate insurance claim processing.

In some embodiments, generating the claim information based on thesensor data may include generating fault detection informationcomprising an indication of fault for the collision involving theautonomous vehicle, the indication of fault being determined by theautonomous vehicle control system. For example, in generating the claiminformation based on the sensor data, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may generate fault detection information thatincludes an indication of fault for the collision involving theautonomous vehicle, and the indication of fault may be determined by theautonomous vehicle control system (e.g., on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140). For instance, on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 may perform fault detection based on any and/or all of theinformation captured and/or otherwise received by on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 at the example steps discussed above, such asthe collision response information received from vehicle managementcomputer system 110, the collision input received from one or morepassengers, the passenger information received from one or more mobiledevices, the local collision data received from one or more othervehicles, and/or other information. On-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 may perform such fault detection, for instance, to determinewhich parties are at fault for the collision and whether damagesassociated with the collision will be covered by one or more insurancepolicies.

In some embodiments, generating the claim information based on thesensor data may include generating causality information comprising anindication of causality for the collision involving the autonomousvehicle, the indication of causality being determined by the autonomousvehicle control system. For example, in generating the claim informationbased on the sensor data, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140may generate causality information that includes an indication ofcausality for the collision involving the autonomous vehicle, and theindication of causality may be determined by the autonomous vehiclecontrol system (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140).For instance, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 maydetermine causality information that may, for instance, be indicative ofthe conditions leading to the collision based on any and/or all of theinformation captured and/or otherwise received by on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 at the example steps discussed above, such asthe collision response information received from vehicle managementcomputer system 110, the collision input received from one or morepassengers, the passenger information received from one or more mobiledevices, the local collision data received from one or more othervehicles, and/or other information. On-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 may determine such causality information, for instance, todetermine what caused the collision and whether damages associated withthe collision will be covered by one or more insurance policies.

At step 226, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may processthe claim information. For example, at step 226, on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 may process the claim information based on atleast one insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140). Inprocessing the claim information, on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 may, for example, determine whether and/or to what extentdamages associated with the collision will be covered by one or moreinsurance policies (e.g., based on the claim information generated atstep 225 and/or based on any and/or all of the information capturedand/or otherwise received by on-board autonomous vehicle control system140 at the example steps discussed above, such as the collision responseinformation received from vehicle management computer system 110, thecollision input received from one or more passengers, the passengerinformation received from one or more mobile devices, the localcollision data received from one or more other vehicles, and/or otherinformation). Additionally or alternatively, after taking evasive actionand/or executing one or more emergency actions (e.g., at step 214 basedon detecting the collision), on-board autonomous vehicle control system140 may, in some instances, use an insurance profile to identify acorrect destination system to send input about the collision and/orcausality for further processing and/or investigation. For instance,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may use an insuranceprofile to identify one or more cloud-based servers where input frommultiple vehicles may be processed more efficiently as such adestination system.

In some embodiments, processing the claim information based on the atleast one insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem may include verifying coverage for the collision involving theautonomous vehicle based on the at least one insurance profilemaintained by the autonomous vehicle control system. For example, inprocessing the claim information based on the at least one insuranceprofile maintained by the autonomous vehicle control system (e.g.,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140), on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 may verify coverage for the collisioninvolving the autonomous vehicle based on the at least one insuranceprofile maintained by the autonomous vehicle control system (e.g.,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140). For instance, the atleast one insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140) mayspecify one or more conditions where specific circumstances and/or typesof damages are or are not covered, and on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may verify coverage for the collision by evaluatingsuch conditions in view of any and/or all of the information capturedand/or otherwise received by on-board autonomous vehicle control system140 at the example steps discussed above, such as the collision responseinformation received from vehicle management computer system 110, thecollision input received from one or more passengers, the passengerinformation received from one or more mobile devices, the localcollision data received from one or more other vehicles, and/or otherinformation.

In some embodiments, processing the claim information based on the atleast one insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem may include inserting the claim information into a policyadjustment calculator tool executed by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem. For example, in processing the claim information based on the atleast one insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140), on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may insert the claim informationinto a policy adjustment calculator tool executed by the autonomousvehicle control system (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system140). In inserting the claim information into the policy adjustmentcalculator tool, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may useany and/or all of the information captured and/or otherwise received byon-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 at the example stepsdiscussed above, such as the collision response information receivedfrom vehicle management computer system 110, the collision inputreceived from one or more passengers, the passenger information receivedfrom one or more mobile devices, the local collision data received fromone or more other vehicles, and/or other information.

In some embodiments, processing the claim information based on the atleast one insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem may include prompting at least one passenger of the autonomousvehicle to submit the claim information for additional processing by aninsurance claim processing computer system. For example, in processingthe claim information based on the at least one insurance profilemaintained by the autonomous vehicle control system (e.g., on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140), on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may prompt at least one passenger of the autonomousvehicle (e.g., in which on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140is installed) to submit the claim information for additional processingby an insurance claim processing computer system (e.g., claim processingcomputer system 120). In some instances, in prompting at least onepassenger of the autonomous vehicle (e.g., in which on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 is installed) to submit the claim informationfor additional processing by an insurance claim processing computersystem (e.g., claim processing computer system 120), on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 may cause a display device (e.g., a built-indisplay device of the autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 is installed, a passenger's mobile device,etc.) to display and/or otherwise present a graphical user interfacesimilar to graphical user interface 500, which is illustrated in FIG. 5. As seen in FIG. 5 , graphical user interface 500 may include textand/or other information prompting a user to submit the claiminformation for additional processing (e.g., “Thank you for enteringinformation about the collision to facilitate claim processing. You cansubmit this claim for processing or edit the information you haveentered.”) as well as one or more user-selectable options that, wheninvoked, cause on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 to submitthe claim for processing (e.g., “Submit Claim”) or present additionaluser interfaces via which such claim information may be edited and/orone or more other options may be provided (e.g., “Edit ClaimInformation; More Options”).

In some instances, in processing the claim information based on the atleast one insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140), on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may evaluate informationassociated with a vehicle lease. For example, if a vehicle involved inthe collision is leased and a major loss occurs during the vehiclelease, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may evaluateinformation associated with a vehicle lease and determine that one ormore specific actions may be performed or caused as part of a speedyrecovery process. In some instances, in processing the claim informationbased on the at least one insurance profile maintained by the autonomousvehicle control system (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system140), on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may evaluateinformation associated with a rental vehicle. For example, if a vehicleinvolved in the collision is rented, on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 may evaluate information associated with a vehicle rental andmay control and/or otherwise cause a new rental vehicle to be deliveredand/or drive up to the location of the collision. Similarly, if acommercial vehicle or fleet vehicle is involved in a collision, areplacement commercial vehicle or fleet vehicle may be deployed. Forinstance, if a delivery truck is in an accident, another delivery truckmay be directed to the collision location, loaded with the samepackages, and deployed to deliver the packages. As another example, if afleet vehicle used by a repairperson is damaged in the collision,another repairperson and/or their tools and supplies may be dispatched.

At step 227, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may generatea claim notification (e.g., based on generating the claim information atstep 225 and/or processing the claim information at step 226). Forexample, at step 227, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 maygenerate a claim notification based on processing the claim informationbased on the at least one insurance profile maintained by the autonomousvehicle control system (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system140). In some instances, in generating a claim notification at step 227,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may generate a claimnotification directing vehicle management computer system 110 to furtherprocess an insurance claim associated with the collision. In someinstances, in generating a claim notification at step 227, on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may additionally or alternativelygenerate a claim notification directing vehicle management computersystem 110 to send another autonomous vehicle to assist with respondingto the collision (e.g., by functioning as an ambulance to take one ormore injured passengers to the hospital, to tow one or more vehiclesinvolved in the collision to a repair facility, etc.). At step 228,on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may send the claimnotification to vehicle management computer system 110. For example, atstep 228, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may send, viathe communication interface (e.g., communication interface 145), to avehicle management computer system (e.g., vehicle management computersystem 110), the claim notification generated by the autonomous vehiclecontrol system (e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140)based on processing the claim information based on the at least oneinsurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle control system(e.g., on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140).

Referring to FIG. 2H, at step 229, vehicle management computer system110 may receive the claim notification from on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140. At step 230, vehicle management computer system 110may send one or more collision response commands to on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140. The one or more collision response commands(which may, e.g., be generated by vehicle management computer system 110and/or sent by vehicle management computer system 110 to on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140) may direct the autonomous vehiclein which on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 is installed toa repair facility and/or may direct on-board autonomous vehicle controlsystem 140 to perform one or more actions.

At step 231, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may receivethe one or more collision response commands from vehicle managementcomputer system 110. For example, at step 231, on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 may receive, via the communication interface(e.g., communication interface 145), from the vehicle managementcomputer system (e.g., vehicle management computer system 110), one ormore collision response commands generated by the vehicle managementcomputer system (e.g., vehicle management computer system 110) anddirecting the autonomous vehicle control system (e.g., on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140) to move the autonomous vehicle inwhich the autonomous vehicle control system (e.g., on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140) is installed to a specific location.

At step 232, on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 may executethe one or more collision response commands received from vehiclemanagement computer system 110. For example, at step 232, on-boardautonomous vehicle control system 140 may execute the one or morecollision response commands received from the vehicle managementcomputer system (e.g., vehicle management computer system 110) bycontrolling the autonomous vehicle to move the autonomous vehicle to thespecific location. In some instances, controlling the autonomous vehicleto move the autonomous vehicle to the specific location may includecontrolling the autonomous vehicle to move the autonomous vehicle to arepair facility. For example, in controlling the autonomous vehicle tomove the autonomous vehicle to the specific location (e.g., based on theone or more collision response commands received from vehicle managementcomputer system 110), on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 maycontrol the autonomous vehicle to move the autonomous vehicle to arepair facility.

In some instances, in controlling the autonomous vehicle to move theautonomous vehicle to a repair facility, on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 may cause a display device (e.g., a built-in displaydevice of the autonomous vehicle in which on-board autonomous vehiclecontrol system 140 is installed, a passenger's mobile device, etc.) todisplay and/or otherwise present a graphical user interface similar tographical user interface 600, which is illustrated in FIG. 6 . As seenin FIG. 6 , graphical user interface 600 may include text and/or otherinformation notifying one or more passengers that the vehicle will bemoving (e.g., “The vehicle will now drive itself to a repair facility.Please exit the vehicle. A replacement vehicle is on its way to pick youup.”) as well as one or more user-selectable options that, when invoked,cause on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 to presentadditional user interfaces via which one or more other options may beprovided (e.g., “More Options”). In some instances, on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 may also check and/or otherwise confirm thatall of the occupants of the vehicle exited the vehicle after displayingsuch a graphical user interface. In some instances, if a replacementvehicle is deployed to the collision location, on-board autonomousvehicle control system 140 may transfer one or more settings (e.g., seatpositions, temperature preferences, radio/media presets, etc.) from thevehicle in which on-board autonomous vehicle control system 140 isinstalled to the replacement vehicle.

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative method for controlling an autonomousvehicle to respond to a detected collision in accordance with one ormore example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 7 , at step 705, anautonomous vehicle control system having at least one processor, acommunication interface, one or more sensors, and memory may receive,from the one or more sensors, sensor data associated with an autonomousvehicle in which the autonomous vehicle control system is installed. Theautonomous vehicle may have an automated self-driving capability, andthe sensor data associated with the autonomous vehicle may be receivedin real-time from the one or more sensors during operation of theautonomous vehicle.

At step 710, the autonomous vehicle control system may analyze thesensor data associated with the autonomous vehicle in real-time as thesensor data associated with the autonomous vehicle is received from theone or more sensors during the operation of the autonomous vehicle. Atstep 715, based on analyzing the sensor data associated with theautonomous vehicle in real-time, the autonomous vehicle control systemmay detect an occurrence of a collision involving the autonomousvehicle.

At step 720, in response to detecting the occurrence of the collisioninvolving the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle control systemmay generate claim information based on the sensor data associated withthe autonomous vehicle and received from the one or more sensors duringthe operation of the autonomous vehicle. At step 725, the autonomousvehicle control system may process the claim information based on atleast one insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem.

At step 730, the autonomous vehicle control system may generate a claimnotification based on processing the claim information based on the atleast one insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem. At step 735, the autonomous vehicle control system may send, viathe communication interface, to a vehicle management computer system,the claim notification generated by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem based on processing the claim information based on the at leastone insurance profile maintained by the autonomous vehicle controlsystem.

One or more aspects of the disclosure may be embodied in computer-usabledata or computer-executable instructions, such as in one or more programmodules, executed by one or more computers or other devices to performthe operations described herein. Generally, program modules includeroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the likethat perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes when executed by one or more processors in a computer or otherdata processing device. The computer-executable instructions may bestored as computer-readable instructions on a computer-readable mediumsuch as a hard disk, optical disk, removable storage media, solid-statememory, RAM, and the like. The functionality of the program modules maybe combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments. Inaddition, the functionality may be embodied in whole or in part infirmware or hardware equivalents, such as integrated circuits,application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmablegate arrays (FPGA), and the like. Particular data structures may be usedto more effectively implement one or more aspects of the disclosure, andsuch data structures are contemplated to be within the scope of computerexecutable instructions and computer-usable data described herein.

Various aspects described herein may be embodied as a method, anapparatus, or as one or more computer-readable media storingcomputer-executable instructions. Accordingly, those aspects may takethe form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely softwareembodiment, an entirely firmware embodiment, or an embodiment combiningsoftware, hardware, and firmware aspects in any combination. Inaddition, various signals representing data or events as describedherein may be transferred between a source and a destination in the formof light or electromagnetic waves traveling through signal-conductingmedia such as metal wires, optical fibers, or wireless transmissionmedia (e.g., air or space). In general, the one or morecomputer-readable media may be and/or include one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media.

As described herein, the various methods and acts may be operativeacross one or more computing servers and one or more networks. Thefunctionality may be distributed in any manner, or may be located in asingle computing device (e.g., a server, a client computer, and thelike). For example, in alternative embodiments, one or more of thecomputing platforms discussed above may be combined into a singlecomputing platform, and the various functions of each computing platformmay be performed by the single computing platform. In such arrangements,any and/or all of the above-discussed communications between computingplatforms may correspond to data being accessed, moved, modified,updated, and/or otherwise used by the single computing platform.Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the computing platformsdiscussed above may be implemented in one or more virtual machines thatare provided by one or more physical computing devices. In sucharrangements, the various functions of each computing platform may beperformed by the one or more virtual machines, and any and/or all of theabove-discussed communications between computing platforms maycorrespond to data being accessed, moved, modified, updated, and/orotherwise used by the one or more virtual machines.

Aspects of the disclosure have been described in terms of illustrativeembodiments thereof. Numerous other embodiments, modifications, andvariations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occurto persons of ordinary skill in the art from a review of thisdisclosure. For example, one or more of the steps depicted in theillustrative figures may be performed in other than the recited order,and one or more depicted steps may be optional in accordance withaspects of the disclosure.

1. (canceled)
 2. An autonomous vehicle control system comprising: atleast one processor; an onboard vehicle computing display; one or moresensors; and memory storing computer-readable instructions that, whenexecuted by the at least one processor, cause the autonomous vehiclecontrol system to: receive, from the one or more sensors, sensor dataassociated with an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle having anautomated self-driving capability, and the sensor data associated withthe autonomous vehicle being received from the one or more sensorsduring operation of the autonomous vehicle; detect an occurrence of acollision involving the autonomous vehicle based on the sensor data;present collision information, at the onboard vehicle computing displaybuilt into the autonomous vehicle, in a collision prompt to one or morepassengers of the autonomous vehicle indicating the occurrence of thecollision is detected; receive a collision input, at the onboard vehiclecomputing display, responsive to the collision prompt; and send, inresponse to the collision input, an electronic collision report to athird-party server for processing.
 3. The autonomous vehicle controlsystem of claim 2, wherein the collision prompt includes text presentedon a graphical user interface of the onboard vehicle computing display.4. The autonomous vehicle control system of claim 2, wherein thecomputer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, further cause the collision prompt to be presented at adisplay of a mobile device associated with the one or more passengers.5. The autonomous vehicle control system of claim 4, wherein: thecollision prompt is a first screen presented on the display of themobile device; and the computer-readable instructions, when executed bythe at least one processor, further cause presentation of a secondscreen on the display, following the first screen, presenting additionaluser interface features to collect information from the one or morepassengers at the mobile device.
 6. The autonomous vehicle controlsystem of claim 5, wherein the additional user interface features,responsive to user input, collect passenger information or propertyinformation from the one or more passengers.
 7. The autonomous vehiclecontrol system of claim 2, wherein the collision prompt includes aprompt for the one or more passengers to enter information into theonboard vehicle computing display or a mobile device.
 8. The autonomousvehicle control system of claim 7, wherein the prompt for the one ormore passengers to enter information includes at least one of a requestfor at least one of an identification of persons present in theautonomous vehicle during the collision, a property item present in theautonomous vehicle during the collision, an injury resulting from thecollision, or user preference information.
 9. The autonomous vehiclecontrol system of claim 8, wherein the prompt is a first prompt, and thecomputer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, further cause presentation of a second prompt for submittingthe collision information for additional processing by a claimprocessing system.
 10. The autonomous vehicle control system of claim 9,wherein the first prompt and the second prompt are presented at a centerconsole display device of the autonomous vehicle.
 11. The autonomousvehicle control system of claim 9, wherein: the first prompt ispresented at a center console display device of the autonomous vehicle;and the second prompt is presented at a mobile device associated withthe one or more passengers.
 12. The autonomous vehicle control system ofclaim 8, wherein the prompt is a first prompt, and the computer-readableinstructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further causepresentation of a second prompt for editing information previouslyprovided to the autonomous vehicle control system.
 13. The autonomousvehicle control system of claim 2, wherein the computer-readableinstructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further causethe autonomous vehicle control system to, in response to detecting theoccurrence of the collision involving the autonomous vehicle, executeone or more emergency actions to control the operation of the autonomousvehicle.
 14. The autonomous vehicle control system of claim 2, whereinthe memory stores additional computer-readable instructions that, whenexecuted by the at least one processor, cause the autonomous vehiclecontrol system to: based on detecting the occurrence of the collisioninvolving the autonomous vehicle, generate a collision notification; andsend, via a communication interface, to a vehicle management computersystem in wireless communication with the autonomous vehicle controlsystem, the collision notification.
 15. An autonomous vehicle controlsystem comprising: at least one processor; one or more sensors; andmemory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by theat least one processor, cause the autonomous vehicle control system to:detect an occurrence of a collision involving an autonomous vehiclebased on sensor data from the one or more sensors, the autonomousvehicle having an automated self-driving capability, and the sensor dataassociated with actions of the autonomous vehicle during operation ofthe autonomous vehicle; cause presentation of a collision prompt at anonboard vehicle computing display or a mobile device associated with oneor more passengers of the autonomous vehicle, the collision promptproviding collision information to the one or more passengers of theautonomous vehicle indicating the occurrence of the collision isdetected; receive, at an onboard vehicle computing display or the mobiledevice associated with the one or more passengers, a collision inputresponsive to the collision prompt; and send, in response to thecollision input, an electronic collision report to a third-party serverfor processing.
 16. The autonomous vehicle control system of claim 15,wherein the collision prompt includes text presented on a graphical userinterface of at least one of the onboard vehicle computing display orthe mobile device.
 17. The autonomous vehicle control system of claim15, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the atleast one processor, further cause the autonomous vehicle control systemto present user interface features to collect information from the oneor more passengers at the mobile device or the onboard vehicle computingdisplay.
 18. The autonomous vehicle control system of claim 17, whereinthe user interface features, responsive to user input from the one ormore passengers, collect at least one of passenger information, propertyinformation, an identification of persons present in the autonomousvehicle during the collision, a property item present in the autonomousvehicle during the collision, an injury resulting from the collision, oruser preference information.
 19. The autonomous vehicle control systemof claim 15, wherein the collision prompt is a first prompt, and thecomputer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, further cause the autonomous vehicle control system topresent a second prompt for editing information previously provided tothe autonomous vehicle control system.
 20. The autonomous vehiclecontrol system of claim 19, wherein the first prompt and the secondprompt are presented at a center console display device of theautonomous vehicle.
 21. A method of autonomous vehicle controlcomprising: receiving, from one or more sensors of an autonomousvehicle, sensor data being received from the one or more sensors duringoperation of the autonomous vehicle; detecting an occurrence of acollision involving the autonomous vehicle based on the sensor data;presenting a collision prompt, at an onboard vehicle computing displaybuilt into the autonomous vehicle and at a mobile device associated withone or more passengers of the autonomous vehicle, the collision promptpresenting collision information to one or more passengers of theautonomous vehicle indicating the occurrence of the collision isdetected; receiving a collision input, at the onboard vehicle computingdisplay or at the mobile device, responsive to the collision prompt; andsending, in response to the collision input, an electronic collisionreport to a third-party server for processing.